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Bat **** crazy fans totally ignore a great season if we lose to the ultimate champion or runner-up in the third round.

Bat **** crazy fans think '02 was a great season because we made the finals even though we were tremendous under-achievers all season.

Bat **** crazy fans care only about winning in the tournament and don't give a crap about character, regular season, education, or much of anything else.

Every program has those sport talks, message board, etc., fans. That's a small % of the fan base and most of them probably don't give a dime to the university or never stepped foot on campus. I think Mark Few is a bad example. He coaches at a small private school on the west coast where people really don't care about basketball and play in a conference where it is really easy to win.

"Any time that I can be out at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, you're going to see a smile on my face." - Dan Wheldon

"It's crazy how the Indianapolis Motor Speedway can make you so emotional. I went from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows in less than 24 hours." - Alex Tagliani

IU basketball has become Notre Dame football. Living off of their past success and non-sensical fans clinging to the past and thinking 1987 (for IU) or 1988 (for ND football) were just a few years ago. Those days are long gone and likely not coming back for either in any sort of consistent fashion.

Crean isn't a bad coach. His act is tired and his inane trash talking to opposing coaches a joke, but he's just like most coaches in college basketball. You get rid of him and all you are gonna do is get another Crean. Sean Miller would be beyond crazy to leave Arizona. Its a much better job now then IU. Alford would be crazy to leave UCLA. Its also better and IU has had chances to hire Alford before and never seemed interested. Tony Bennett's style would put IU fans to sleep and likely won't ever win anything big come March and he's much better suited to coach at a school like Virginia. Chris Mack is Tom Crean from about 12 years ago. The only reason he'd leave Xavier for any job is more cash.

IU and their fans just have to realize where they actually stand TODAY in the college basketball world. Its a lot closer to Ohio State or Michigan then it is Kentucky or Kansas. But that's OK you can still have a successful program and not be Kentucky or Kansas or the real top tier programs. But some of the IU fans egos won't allow that.

And there egos won't allow them to grasp that Butler, Purdue and/or ND basketball are just as good, if not better than IU over the last decade.

Honestly, for me at least, the most frustrating thing about IU is their lack of consistency. They can look like world beaters, then come back and fall flat. For me at least, you can almost tell in the opening minutes if they aren't going to win a particular game, don't know if it is in the mental/physical part of the game that is lacking, or coaching, or game schemes, but it is not the winning and losing so much as the question of what team is going to show up.

I think above all else, Tom Crean is a helluva recruiter... which is probably in part why he keeps his job, great potential coming in....

And just to add, can someone, anyone explain why Bryant was not a force inside all season? He is a big strong gifted player, why didn't IU pound the ball inside as a game plan, why are we not good at setting screens? .. just didn't seem to happen consistently...

I love sports, I confess to not being a savvy x's and 0's person, so maybe someone can explain that to me...

I think above all else, Tom Crean is a helluva recruiter... which is probably in part why he keeps his job, great potential coming in....

I'm not up to date on recruits, but my father (who follows IU basketball religiously) has been complaining lately that IU isn't getting any of the top players from the state of Indiana anymore. He thinks Crean is a lousy recruiter. But then again, my father compares everything going on today to Knight era.

Well after watching last nights game... I can see why they didn't want to do that in front of a home crowd. What did Crean say during the time out... "Dribble and pass the ball outside the 3 point line until there's one second left and whoever has the ball at that point fling it towards the basket"??

And just to add, can someone, anyone explain why Bryant was not a force inside all season? He is a big strong gifted player, why didn't IU pound the ball inside as a game plan, why are we not good at setting screens? .. just didn't seem to happen consistently...

I love sports, I confess to not being a savvy x's and 0's person, so maybe someone can explain that to me...

Hardly anybody runs screens anymore. Drives me crazy.

Bryant spent too much time on the perimeter but when he did bang down low and demand the basketball they wouldn't give it to him.

I'm not up to date on recruits, but my father (who follows IU basketball religiously) has been complaining lately that IU isn't getting any of the top players from the state of Indiana anymore. He thinks Crean is a lousy recruiter. But then again, my father compares everything going on today to Knight era.

Crean's two best teams were led by Indiana kids but for some reason Crean won't pursue others.

As an outsider, it seems like simply turning down the invite might have been better if the reason really is that they didn't want to devalue their brand. I get a big program being unhappy about an NIT bid, UW fans would not exactly fill the Kohl Center for one (I don't think) these days, but I'm pretty sure the AD would still accept a home date rather than play on the road. It isn't like football where accepting a crappy bowl gives you several more weeks to practice and get prepared for the next year, so simply bowing out sounds like a better option to me than playing on the road.

I hope your sources are correct. He coached in the State so he has history here; he coached at Tennessee so he has history in the SEC; he coaches at Cal so he should have national reach as a recruiter. All of those things would be very helpful at Mizzou.

Crean's two best teams were led by Indiana kids but for some reason Crean won't pursue others.

Maybe HS HC's don't like him? Or is he picking the wrong ones? I remember during the last few years of Knight's tenure there were grumblings about how Knight couldn't get the Mr. Basketball's like he use to. Jason Gardner comes to mind. And Alford has plucked Kris Wilkes who is probably going to be Mr. Basketball next year.